Anyone have a dog who sleeps crated in their bedroom?

[MarriedToAPotter]

As per other thread, Ddog has decided he hates to sleep in his crate after four years of no issues. I’m at my wits end after four nights of broken sleep due to barking and whining.

Last night I slept on the floor next to Ddog all night in the utility whilst he was crated , the barking stopped immediately and the whining after one hour. He then slept through.

I need to have him crated at night and during the day sometimes whilst we are out.

I’m planning to move his crate to my bedroom and get him to sleep in there, covered over as he is now. Does anyone else do this and does it work well?

Does Dog want to be out when you go to the bathroom at night?

We do! I started off closing the crate but now I don't and he never leaves it, once he's all cosy in his blankets. No he never wants to get up if we pop to the loo- they just get used to their routine and know they don't get up till morning!

Mine sleep in bedroom but on dog beds. They were never keen on crates after about 6 months.

If he hates it that much why don’t you set up a pen instead with the crate in and the door open?

We have our dog crates in our bedroom, not a peep out of them at night they like being close to us. One dog is out & sleeps on the bed 😂 other 2 crated separately. Would your dog be OK left out? We have one dog that wouldn't because she'd wander round all night & jump on us & lick us in the middle of the night & the other is too young yet, and the one dog that's great at sleeping out.

A lot of dogs don’t like to be crated at night because they find it too restrictive. Like us, they like to be able to move to a warmer/cooler spot, etc. Why don’t you try him just in a basket in your bedroom?

His crate is a generous size and is cosy. I don’t want to have him roaming free as he will disturb our DC, jump on us etc.

I also need to be able to keep the crate for times we need to go out.

I think a lot of dogs dislike the crate after a certain period. We leave ours with access to the kitchen and the hallway at night and when we go out (no door between) and have a stair gate to stop her going upstairs. She doesn’t chew shoes or anything anyway but there is nothing she could damage.

Might be worth you exploring non crate safe spaces too to give your dog a bit more room. Presumably at age 4 he shouldn’t be chewing much now anyway?

Are you sure he will? I have a working spaniel who is incredibly high energy and driven by a motor during the day. We had exactly the same issue (by about 10 months he was whining in his crate at night) but tried him just in a basket. First night he was very excited but after that he adjusted and now he sleeps 11pm - 6.30am and we don’t get a peep from him. Most dogs seem to understand that at night when it’s quiet and dark, we all just sleep. During the day mine is still totally hyperactive and struggles to settle in his bed downstairs but he’s good as good at night. I’d honestly try it as I was very doubtful it would work and have been pleasantly surprised.

Also, it wouldn’t stop you crating him in the day if needed. Day and night have their own rules.

I know you said on your other thread that you want to keep the crate but have you considered a pen or a dog-safe area somewhere in your home instead?

Dogs are polyphasic sleepers and need to be able to move around when they sleep - adjust positions and lie on different surfaces to warm up/cool down as needed.

I would try his crate door open with a pen or something around it.

Can't you just shut him in the utility room with his dog bed? Mine gets shut in a downstairs room each night. I've never crated mine, find it an odd idea tbh.

My puppy is on a dog bed next to my bed. She's massive and could get into the bed if she wanted, but has very quickly learned that's not allowed in the night but is allowed at 6am for a snoozy cuddle :) it feels natural and nice to me having her in the room. Sounds like your dog is calmed by your presence so moving the crate seems a good idea. Hope it works for you and you get some good sleep soon.

Yes, crate in bedroom and not a peep out of her until we get up. Don't even shut the door these days, it's her routine that this is where she sleeps. To be fair, she's done that since we got her at 8 weeks old so I can't really take credit! She's obviously happy and relaxed as long as she knows we're nearby.

TY all for the responses. I’ve decided it’s not worth the stress trying to persevere with him sleeping alone. DH and I are not in agreement so I really hope I don’t regret the new strategy!

I’ve just been out to buy him a plush new bed and set him up a den in our bedroom. I do want him to sleep on his bed in our room, not jumping on us at night.

Will it take a few nights of persistent “down” to get him settled again? I’m expecting him to be rather excitable for the next few nights.

I have a DC with SEN so I do need to keep the crate for use during the day. Having him sleep in our room at night will not mean that he can’t be crated during the day?

Not a crate but a baby gate room divider, to keep them penned into an area with their bed
works perfectly x

We have a crate downstairs for during the day as needed and no issues